The Golden Ass · Chapter
XLIII explained
The gardener, carrying Lucius in his donkey form, is accosted by a soldier who demands the ass for military service.
What happens
The gardener, carrying Lucius in his donkey form, is accosted by a soldier who demands the ass for military service. After a violent struggle, the gardener overpowers the soldier and flees to a friend's house for refuge. The soldier later returns with comrades to search for the gardener, and Lucius inadvertently reveals their hiding place when his shadow is spotted from a window, leading to the gardener's capture and giving rise to the proverb 'the shadow of the ass.'
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
The gardener feigns submission to the soldier, then violently overpowers him; later, the soldiers fabricate a story about a lost silver goblet to justify their search, highlighting the theme of deceit and false appearances.
Folly and Wisdom
Lucius's curiosity leads him to put his head out the window, revealing his shadow and causing the gardener's capture—a moment of folly that underscores the chapter's cautionary tone.
Fortune and Suffering
The gardener's fortunes shift rapidly from peaceful travel to violent conflict, flight, and eventual imprisonment, illustrating the vicissitudes of fate and human suffering.
Characters to notice
- Lucius
Lucius, still in donkey form, is present throughout the chapter as the ass whose shadow betrays the gardener's hiding place.
- William Adlington
Adlington is the translator; the chapter heading 'How Apuleius was found by his shadow' refers to Lucius (Apuleius) in the narrative.
Key passages
“quorsum vacuum ducis asinum?”
Where are you leading that empty ass?
The soldier's Latin question, which the gardener does not understand, initiates the conflict.
“the shadow of the ass.”
the ass's shadow.
The proverb derived from Lucius's shadow being spotted, leading to the gardener's discovery.